Team Talks: Head of Corporate Business Development, Victoria

What does a corporate business development manager at VenueNow actually do? We joke that their days are filled with coffee dates and sunset soirées, but really, they are busy cultivating and nurturing important professional relationships, to bring our venue partners high-value event bookings.

Today we chat to the Corporate Business Development Lead, Victoria Damiani, about the ins and outs of her job.

Paint us a picture of your day as a corporate business development manager at VenueNow. What does a typical day consist of?

One of the things I love about what we do is that each day is truly different. It’s all focussed around creating meaningful connections. I start my day by checking emails, responding to Facebook and LinkedIn messages and making connections.  I also generally have a target list of contacts I'd like to reach out to by phone every day. This list includes prospects from my industry segment as well as some of the venue partners we're contacting to tee up future VenueNow VIP events. At the moment I'm also starting to look into our end of year gifting program, trade show opportunities, and also teeing up some training for our busy crew.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The stories. Everyone has a story! Whether it’s how they got to where they are today, what fabulous new venue or restaurant they've just been to or where they're travelling to this year.  Or, it’s about that time they got lost without a phone and wallet in the middle of Times Square (I'm from New York originally, so there's ALWAYS a New York story), how they met their lover, what their awesome kid or pet did that was funny yesterday.... it all revolves around love. Love for each other and a love for life..... and I LOVE that.

Which fellow VenueNow team member do you work most closely with? Tell us about your relationship.

It’s no secret – my corporate business development team are a tight crew. We're lovingly referred to as the ‘wolf pack’ by our former HR Manager. We share our wins and losses, and everything from wild travel adventures to what we cooked for dinner last night.  And we laugh all the time.

What’s the best event you’ve been a part of, and why did you love it so much?

Of late, my favourite event was our VenueNow VIP event at Metropolis in Southbank. For starters, Metropolis is a stunning venue. Imagine tall ceilings, views of the river, and fabulous decor. It really is the perfect setting for a dramatic event.  

We kicked off with drinks and nibbles along the bar with a pianist tickling the ivories and revealed a dramatic long table set with a jazz trio crooning over our dinner. And, to really put the cherry on top, the big surprise was an aerial acrobatic act right in the middle of our dinner table.  The event was then capped off with a dessert buffet floating in mid-air next to live Grecian statues. You've got to love a venue that knows how to surprise and delight guests all the way through the evening!

Where do you get your coffee fix?

We're lucky to work in a great neighbourhood for artisan coffee. You can't go much further than Allpress for a really smooth and lovely coffee to really get the mind going.

We know that you have a hospitality background. Can you share a horror story with us?

Ooooh, I’ve got a couple of horror stories but I’ll give you my favourite.  Here goes! I worked at the Waldorf=Astoria, and ran the set up crew for banquets.  We were all ready for a massive society fundraiser, they had a gorgeous setup with spring time yellows accenting the room. Picture napkins, menus, and larger than life urns full of forsythia branches - very dramatic!  What happened next was certainly dramatic, but not in a good way!

Our sales manager was in the room doing last minute checks to the table settings, and we're walking together to make small adjustments to table positioning and sight lines for the VIP tables. Out of nowhere, the ceiling drops onto a table with a massive crash and some kind of yellow tinted water starts pouring from the new opening.... we're 30 minutes to show time. The sales manager is looking like he's just about to cry, but we jump into action.  We get the crew out to swap the table and start to manoeuvre the tables into a slightly different set up to allow for the big urns to sit directly underneath the gaping hole in the ceiling and catch any additional (unfortunate) run-off. Most importantly, we rework the guest seating to ensure the VIPs are still in a prime position and update the client on the last minute change.... all in time for the event to start. Unbelievable, right? The craziest bit is that there was a huge hole in the ceiling for the entire event and not one person noticed. At the Waldorf we always said  “The difficult immediately, the impossible takes a few moments longer.”  They are words to live by.

When she’s not leading a powerhouse team of corporate business development experts, Victoria is dancing up a storm, hanging out with her little family and baking the best damn peach pie we’ve ever tasted.

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